Casa de Los Niños
Bolivia, Cochabamba.
We assist children in situations of abandonment.
Specific requests:
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English and Spanish basic level
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Full COVID vaccine
Modality: face-to-face / online / semi-presential
Period: from February to November
Minimum time: 3 months
Maximum time: 12 months
Context of the community in which he works
The Casa de los niños Foundation is located in the north-east of Cochabamba, Bolivia, one of the poorest areas of the city. It is a peripheral area where 50% of the population is made up of children and young people, most of whom have been abandoned by their parents who could not provide them with primary care.
About 500 people work there, including adults, young people and children. With the involvement of the community, a citadel called "Arco Iris" was built, where 104 families and more than 250 children and adolescents live, many of them with various illnesses and/or abandoned. The citadel also accompanies the indigenous communities of Carpani, Nuñumayani and Birequaté, who live in the Andean area and in the Amazonian wilderness.
In addition to supporting social services such as the provision of food products, the Foundation offers spaces where the communities can share their culture, generating mutual enrichment and fraternal collaboration.
Its goals
The main aim is to reunite children in a state of abandonment or at social risk with their families of origin.
This also involves the development of the human and spiritual formation of the families living in the Citadel and of all the children. It also seeks to offer specific support and attention to children suffering from various illnesses who are part of the community, through specialised care and physiotherapy.
Finally, it seeks to support public institutions in promoting laws that favour the well-being of children and their inclusion in their families rather than in care centres.
Main activities carried out
La Casa de los Niños is a community that works on many levels. In the course of its history, it has built up a community that has a school, a canteen, a health centre, a bakery, a garden and 65 other buildings where the families we work with live.
We also carry out other activities outside the centre, such as supporting people living on the streets, prisoners and families from neighbouring indigenous communities.
Volunteers profile
Professionals and/or students in the educational sector.
Tasks to be done
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Helping in the educational centre courses as an educator;
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Supporting in physiotherapy and kinesiotherapy consultations
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Accompanying children and young people with disabilities in the Centre's educational and therapeutic activities
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Supporting social work activities
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Supporting the psychology counselling service
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Carrying out games and recreational activities for the children of the organisation.